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  #16  
Old 07-27-2014, 09:48 AM
MrBJones MrBJones is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by IheartNY View Post
Which brands offer the best: inexpensive, solid, all Koa guitars?
Hard to say which brand/model is best since koa wood itself is so variable. Two koa guitars that are outwardly identical could have markedly different sounds; one could be lovely, the other a total dud. Better to play as many as you can and then decide which particular specific guitar you like and can afford.
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  #17  
Old 07-27-2014, 09:59 AM
Gcunplugged Gcunplugged is offline
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To the original poster, it would help if you qualify what you consider "inexpensive".

Also, it would help if you gave a few hints about your playing style. Personally I'd recommend that you play a few Koa guitars to make sure you like the sound. I had a Spruce top over Koa back and sides custom-built recently by Steve Grimes. He really gave me an education on Koa and discussed the different varieties that grow on the various islands. It is not all the same, and the elevation at which it grows make a big difference in the tonal qualities due to heat & humidity.

And as others have mentioned, Koa is expensive. That is primarily because there are not enough building materials on the islands, and shipping in wood for building is expensive. So they use what they have locally before shipping anything else in, thus most all Koa is consumed on the islands.

Lastly, Alvarez and Alvarez-Yairi make some nice Koa or Acacia guitars, although most are not all-solid. Here are a few examples:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Alvarez-Yair...item2ed49be27f

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Alvarez-Arti...item5afbb00901

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Alvarez-...item2a4065b645

Hope that helps,
Gary
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  #18  
Old 07-27-2014, 11:35 AM
chas13 chas13 is offline
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I do not know what inexpensive is, but I have this Takamine EF508KC all Koa for sale $950
check out this link.
http://s1053.photobucket.com/user/Ch...mine%20EF508KC
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  #19  
Old 08-14-2018, 09:45 AM
Kaiserhogg Kaiserhogg is offline
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Default APC

APC - on Amazon - have some remarkable guitars. Check them out
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  #20  
Old 08-14-2018, 09:50 AM
robj144 robj144 is offline
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Originally Posted by Kaiserhogg View Post
APC - on Amazon - have some remarkable guitars. Check them out
What is APC? On Amazon, they have no descriptions or ratings.
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  #21  
Old 08-14-2018, 10:24 AM
phavriluk phavriluk is offline
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Default yamaha koa

Just today I received a promotion through Acoustic Guitar magazine pitching a pair of all-solid koa Yamaha guitars.
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  #22  
Old 01-14-2019, 01:34 PM
Kaiserhogg Kaiserhogg is offline
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https://www.amazon.co.uk/APC-instrum...rds=apc+guitar
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Levin
LT-18 (1963)
25 (1959)
123 (1955)
Rio (1948)
Yairi 1000 (1976)
CF Mountain
W230
W120
Parkwood PW370M
Morris W40 (1974)
Finlayson DM-50
APC Koa
Vintage V1300
Taylor Custom 12 Fret
Avalon L320
Guild M20
Quintric OM
Antonio Tsai
..Probably some more..
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  #23  
Old 01-14-2019, 01:47 PM
merlin666 merlin666 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tobias Music View Post
Yup, these are outstanding guitars. Keep in mind, the more highly figured the wood looks, the more expensive it will be. These 300 Series solid Koa guitars are beautiful, but they aren't using master grade Koa on them.
I don't find them beautiful at all. Taylor uses a hideous stain on their Koa guitars, so they don't look like Koa anymore but more like cheap kitchen cupboards.
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  #24  
Old 01-14-2019, 07:30 PM
AZLiberty AZLiberty is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wade Hampton View Post
Over the years, Larrivée has occasionally offered koa in their less expensive "3 Series" guitars, which have satin finishes. You might be able to find a used one.

whm
Yup. Back in the late 90's (98-99) Larrivee sold Koa guitars at the same upcharge as for Rosewood. Wish I had bought one when I had the chance.

Koa has gotten considerably more expensive since then.
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  #25  
Old 01-14-2019, 07:31 PM
AZLiberty AZLiberty is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by robj144 View Post
What is APC? On Amazon, they have no descriptions or ratings.
APC is from portugal I think. Their Ukes are extraordinarily good. Never seen a guitar.
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  #26  
Old 01-14-2019, 07:45 PM
bakmak bakmak is offline
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Inexpensive Koa laminate maybe, solid not unless your buying it used and the seller doesn't realize it's Koa
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  #27  
Old 01-15-2019, 03:23 AM
IndyHD28 IndyHD28 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by merlin666 View Post
I don't find them beautiful at all. Taylor uses a hideous stain on their Koa guitars, so they don't look like Koa anymore but more like cheap kitchen cupboards.
Surely you must be referring only to the 2018 Builders Edition, in which case I’d agree. However, the flagship all-Koa K24ce does not have a dark stain and is very attractive.

And while the OP didn’t want a laminate, the 224K DLX is an awesome looking guitar. There are studies out there that claim laminated transfer sound better than “solid” wood.

Finally, for anyone lusting after Koa, approach the Koa topped guitars with caution. These hardwood tops create a very different tone than what you’re used to with spruce tops. They simply don’t vibrate as well. Add Taylor’s very thick 6 mil gloss finish and you’ve got a surface that damps out the bass and treble leaving a very mid-rangy tone. The urban legend is that Koa will “open up” after several years of playing but I ask, why wait?
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Last edited by IndyHD28; 01-15-2019 at 03:29 AM.
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  #28  
Old 01-15-2019, 06:00 AM
AndrewG AndrewG is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by IndyHD28 View Post
Surely you must be referring only to the 2018 Builders Edition, in which case I’d agree. However, the flagship all-Koa K24ce does not have a dark stain and is very attractive.

And while the OP didn’t want a laminate, the 224K DLX is an awesome looking guitar. There are studies out there that claim laminated transfer sound better than “solid” wood.

Finally, for anyone lusting after Koa, approach the Koa topped guitars with caution. These hardwood tops create a very different tone than what you’re used to with spruce tops. They simply don’t vibrate as well. Add Taylor’s very thick 6 mil gloss finish and you’ve got a surface that damps out the bass and treble leaving a very mid-rangy tone. The urban legend is that Koa will “open up” after several years of playing but I ask, why wait?
My only experience with Koa was a brief flirtation with an admittedly beautiful Gibson J-185 Koa custom. It had a spruce top and seemed to be begging for a long scale to bring something (for want of a better description), to an otherwise restrained tone. And yes, if a guitar doesn't sound good when I first play it I'm not going to gamble on it opening up years later...

Last edited by Kerbie; 01-31-2019 at 07:04 AM. Reason: Inappropriate
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  #29  
Old 01-15-2019, 06:08 AM
AndrewG AndrewG is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by phavriluk View Post
Just today I received a promotion through Acoustic Guitar magazine pitching a pair of all-solid koa Yamaha guitars.
I saw that, but why they chose a guitar designed specifically for amplified use is beyond me. Surely whatever tonal quality this costly timber has is being compromised with barn doors and a relatively heavy build. Now, an LS in all Koa would be something to pique my interest-or even in the new small body CSF3, (which in its current spruce/mahogany iteration could be the small guitar I've been looking for).
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  #30  
Old 01-15-2019, 08:39 AM
AndrewG AndrewG is offline
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I have no idea of the cost, but there's a youtube video of the all-solid koa Yamaha CSF100K parlour which sounds absolutely glorious. I believe only 100 were originally built, with 25 reserved for Japan, and the rest for global distribution. Looks like they are available again. I saw a used model advertised at £1000 a few years ago, so new I would estimate around £1500, if not more.

Last edited by AndrewG; 01-15-2019 at 08:47 AM.
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